Usability

Investors can easily open and fund an account at E*TRADE and Fidelity. Both brokers have established two platforms—one for the casual trader and one for the advanced trader. Each offers a user-friendly design, with multiple tools and features to accommodate investor needs.

Usability Verdict: Tie

Both E*TRADE and Fidelity are easy to get started with. Overall, we found E*TRADE is ⭕a good choice for active traders and investors—especially those who want access to a suite of excellent options tools. Fidelity is better for casual investors and traders looking for low costs and access to international trading.

Trade Experience

Desktop Trade Experience

Both platforms offer re🍃al-time, streaming quotes and several customizable features. Both platforms are a bit lackluster with regard to their standard platform functionality and ease of use. However, when it comes to the more advanced trading platforms—Power E*TRADE and Fidelity’s Active Trader Pro—investors can find several additional options for screening, staging, and placing orders.

Desktop Trade Experience Verdict: E*TRADE

Although it was close, we found that E*TRADE offers a more satisfying desktop trading experience due to its robust Power E*TRADE platform and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:backtesting capabilities.

Mobile Trade Experience

E*TRADE and Fidelity offer mobile apps that are easy to use. However, that easiness comes at a price; some desktop trading functions are absent from the mobile apps. Neither E*TRADE nor Fidelity offers fixed income trading on their mobile apps. Additionally, Fidelity’s mobile app has very limited analysis and chartin💃g abilities. In contrast, E*TRADE offers robust watchlists via mobile as well as desktop or mobile. And E*TRADE’s app lets investors place conditional orders.

Both apps are well-rated on the App Store. E*TRADE has 4.7 stars from 304,00🍬0 reviews, while Fidelity has 4.8 stars from 2.7 million reviews.

Mobile Trade Experience Verdict: E*TRADE

Overall, we found that both apps fit the needꦏs of casual investors and traders, but only E*TRADE supports conditional orders, which can be a valuable distinction for active traders.

Range of Offerings

E*TRADE😼 and Fidelity provide all the conventional trading products, such as stocks, ETFs, bonds, and mutual funds. Moreover, each has worthwhile distinctions. While E*TRADE offers future💜s and options trading, Fidelity provides access to forex, cryptocurrency, fractional share purchases, and trading through several overseas exchanges.

Range of Offerings Verdict: Fidelity

While both brokers offe✨r a wide range of assets, we give Fidelity the edge here mainly for its wider support of fractional share purchases.

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Order Types

E*TRADE and Fidelity platforms both support typical order types—market, limit, stop, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:trailing stops, and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:conditional. When it comes to conditional orders, E*TRADE offers investors a limited number of conditional orders via mobile; in contrast, Fidelity does not offer conditional orders on mobile. Additionally, the E*TRADE platforms offer investors the ability to stage orders and select specific tax lots for trading, while Fidelity platforms allow clients to auto🍃matically allocate investments across several securities in an equal dollar amount or number of shares.

Order Types Verdict: E*TRADE  

In terms of order types, the❀ gap between the two brokers is negligible for most individual iꩵnvestors, but E*TRADE’s greater flexibility versus Fidelity is an important plus for active traders.

Trading Technology

E*TRADE's order routing uses advanced technology to look for the best combination of execution speed and quality. According to its execution quality report, orders are filled in 0.15 to 0.22 seconds on average, with price improvements of $5.90 to $8.37 on average on share orders of 100 to 9,999 shares. The broker also receives some money for payment for or𒉰der flow (PFOF).

Using what’s known as smart order routing technology, Fidelity seeks the best price available and can access all types of market venues, including dark pools, exchanges, and market makers. The company reports a net price improvement of $24.50 per 1,000 equity shares and an average execution speed of 0.04 seconds, which Fidelity says it achieves because it generally does not receive payment for order flow.

Trading Technology Verdict: Fidelity

Overall, Fidelity wins in the trading techn🃏ology department due to its superior price improvement statistics, faster execution speeds, and lack of payment for order flow.

Costs

E*TRADE and Fidelity charge $0 base commissions for stock, ETF, and options trades. Options cost $0.65 per contract at both brokers; however, E*TRADE drops that fee to $0.50 if you place 30 trades per quarter. E*TRADE has better pricing on broker-assisted trades, with a $25 fee versus Fidelity’s $32.95 fee. Of the two brokers, only E*TRADE offers futures, which you can trade for $1.50 per contract, per side. Margin rates at Fidelity are slightly less than E*TRADE’s—on a $100,000 balance, the rate is 11.075% at Fidelity versus 11.70% with E*TRADE.

Costs Verdict: Fidelity

Overall, you might save money at Fidelity if you trade OTC or use margin, but E*TRADE is cheaper if mutual funds or options are yo🍸ur focus.

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Research and Account Amenities

E*TRADE and Fidelity provide a similar range of research tools, including extensive stock, ETF, mutual fund, and options screeners, calculators, idea generators, and professional research. While both brokers offer automatic investment into cash sweep accounts, Fidelity’s current APY of 2.21%, edges out E*TRADE’s; E*TRADE’s rates range from 0.01% to 0.15% APY currently.

R꧙esearch and Account Amenities Verdict: Fidelity

While Fidelity’s screens edged out E*TRADE’s in our tests, E*TRADE nearly took the lead for its news offerings. ♔In the end, it was the much higher rate of interest Fidelity pays you on uninvested cash that won Fidelity this category.

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Portfolio Analysis

Overall, you get many of the standard features on both E*TRADE and Fidelity platforms—access to real-time quotes, disclosure of realized and unrealized gains, tax reporting data, and margin information. E*TRADE does offer time-weighted measures for gains and losses, thereby eliminating the misleading performance effects of money flowing into and out of portfolios. Fidelity, however, offers investors an enhanced experience when it comes to portfolio analysis by allowing clients to sync account data to see an aggregate view of their entire portfolio and financial situation. In contrast to E*TRADE, Fidelity also offers you a real-time ꦐinternal rate of return (IRR).

Portfolio Analysis Verdict: Fidelity

Fidelity has a la♊rge edge in terms of portfolio analysis, and it takes external accounts into co☂nsideration as well.

Education

E*TRADE and Fidelity both offer quite a bit of educational content, including articles, planning tools, videos/webinars, and even in-person events. However, E*TRADE offers a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:demo account ﷺoption that allows investors to run s꧂cenarios, implement their investment strategies, and simply experience the platform without having to risk real dollars. This tool can be useful for beginner investors who want to ease into the market. It also grants sophisticated investors the ability to fine-tune their strategy before implementing it in their actual portfolio.

Education Verdict: E*TRADE

Overall, E*TRADE takes a slight lead here by offering 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:paper trading capabilities and a b🍃roader range of edu🧜cational topics.

Customer Service

E*TRADE and Fidelity both offer 24/7 customer service via telephone and online chat, email, social media, and access to FAQs and help centers—where most investor questions can be answered. Additionally, Fidelity offers a specific crypto help desk, as well as a fixed-income desk for bond investors. E*TRADE also offers a 24/7 phone line with access to brokers, retirement specialists, financia🅷l consultants, active trader consultants, and product specialists.

Customer Service Verdict: Tie

Overall, you can count on reliable customer serviceღ from either broker.

Security

You will find similar industry-standard security measures at both E*TRADE and Fidelity. Both companies offer investors extra security with two-factor authentication available on all platforms and biometric recognition (face or fingerprint) for logging into the apps. Finally, both brokerages offer SIPC insurance, which covers acc💛ount values of up to $500,000 with a $250,000 limit on cash. Additionally, both brokers have an excess of SIPC insurance with a $1 billion aggregate limit, which covers you if the firm should go bankrupt.

Security Verdict: Tie

𒊎Both of these brokers are large, and their security steps are up to industry standards. Your money is safe with either firm.

Account Types

E*TRADE and Fidelity both offer the standard account types, incluﷺding:

• Individual brokerage accounts
• Custodial accounts
• 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网🎉:Coverdell educati🌟on savings accounts (ESAs)
• Individual retirement accounts (IRAs)—traditional, Roth, rollover, beneficiary, SIMPLE, SEP, and IRAs for minors

Fidelity also offers a number of specialty accounts like 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:health savings accounts (HSAs) and a𓆏 non-custodial youth account where young investors can make their own investing decisions.🍸

Account Types Verdict: Fidelity

Fidelity has the edge thanks to mo🐻re specialty account types. Still, investors gen🙈erally can find most of the account types they need at either of these brokers.

The Bottom Line

E*TRADE🌃 and Fidelity are both very reputable online brokerages, and many investors find that their investing needs are met by either company. Fidelity was ranked as our best option for most investors due to the company’s low costs, low margin rates, and access to international trading. If you are a more active tradeಞr, though, you might enjoy the additional pricing perks that E*TRADE offers.